Science World articles from September 2006

Science World archives from September 2006

Hi from Alaska.(climate change)(Editorial)
September 4, 2006... Science World's editors are willing to go to the ends of the Earth to track down a good story. And that's exactly what I did last May. To get the scoop on climate change, I sailed for 30 days with scientists aboard a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in...

Built for speed.(boat to be fueled by veggie power)
September 4, 2006... For the first time, a motorboat will attempt a round-the-world trek--without using gasoline. Rather, New Zealander Pete Bethune's boat will be fueled by veggies. Most speedboats burn gasoline to power their engines. That process converts...

Washed away.(islands )
September 4, 2006... A year has passed since Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. While Gulf Coast residents continue to rebuild their cities, scientists are also hard at work on a recovery effort offshore. During...

Mammoth mystery.(vanishing from the planet )(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... What caused woolly mammoths to vanish from the planet? Many scientists blame the animals' extinction on overhunting by humans. But one scientist says humans are off the hook. These hairy, elephantlike animals once roamed most of northern...

Croak!( ultrasound being produced by frogs)(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... Scientists have discovered that one species of frog from China "ribbits" using ultrasound. Some mammals, like bats, are also known to communicate by emitting and detecting sound waves with frequencies (vibrations per second) too high for humans...

Splintery snack.(rotten wood is a good snack for animals)(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... For decades, scientists have been bewildered by a favorite meal of mountain gorillas: rotten wood. New research reveals that the snack supplies the animals with an important nutrient. All animals, including humans, require the element...

Toothy discovery.(tooth drilling was present 9000 years ago)(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... A recent discovery reveals that even 9,000 years ago people had to endure the dreaded dentist's drill. Anthropologists who study human cultures had thought that dentistry originated roughly 5,000 years ago. So they were stunned to find...

Adventures of the ant man: a biologist risks life and limb searching for ants.(Brian Fisher )(Cover story)
September 4, 2006... Brian Fisher could outlast all the competition on the TV show Survivor. The biologist from the California Academy of Sciences is an expert at enduring the challenges of trampling through remote--and often treacherous--regions of the planet. ...

Catching air: pro-boarder Shaun White uses physics to soar to great heights.
September 4, 2006... Lowering his tinted goggles over his eyes, Shaun White stands on his snowboard atop a U-shaped "half-pipe." He leans forward and whizzes down the side of the snow-covered ramp and then up the other side. At the edge of the far side of the ramp,...

Hands-on science.(catching air)
September 4, 2006... (No Lab required) After reading " Catching Air" (p. 12), try this activity. PREDICT When Shaun White flies into the air,- he has only a split second to decide which way he'll twist or turn. In this experiment, you will test your...

Bird flu: the facts you need to know.
September 4, 2006... In 1997, bird flu--an illness that normally spreads from bird to bird--jumped the species barrier. It began spreading from birds to humans. Since then, fewer than 200 people have been infected, but more than half of these human victims have...

Chopping chopsticks: desperate to save trees, China slaps a tax on wooden chopsticks.
September 4, 2006... About 5,000 years ago, people in China began using twigs to yank hot food out of their cooking pots. The twigs inspired the creation of chopsticks, China's primary eating utensils. Today, when Chinese citizens dine out, they often use...

Picky eater.(cow)(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... Sluuurp! With a stretch of its tongue, this cow takes a lick of the inside of its nose. What's the reason for this wet wipe? Tiny glands within the nose secrete mucus, making the nostrils moist and sticky. When a cow inhales, bacteria from...

Explain this!(body height due to pituitary gland tumor)(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... High Chair? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWER Explain This! At more than 2.3 meters (7 feet 8 inches) tall, Yao Defen towers over her friend Yao, who lives in Anhui Province in eastern China, is considered the tallest woman in...

Tease your brain.
September 4, 2006... By following the "rope" connectors, can you connect letters to spell out two words that each contain four letters and are opposite in meaning? No letter or rope connector may be used more than once. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The two...

Welcome back to school.
September 4, 2006... Science World has many new features planned for the 2006-2007 school year. For starters, we debut our "Around the World" series in this issue. In each installment, students will visit a different country and learn about a science-related matter...

Tips for using Science World in the classroom.(reading methods)(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... For a fun way to check students' reading comprehension, Bill Fager, 7th-grade science teacher at Transfiguration School in New York City, suggests: After students have read the assigned articles, have each of them write one quiz-type...

Science News.
September 4, 2006... Name: -- DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 7. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letters of the correct answers below. 1. Which of the following statements about biodiesel is false? (A) It can be...

Skylight.(Brief article)
September 18, 2006... Residents of northern Idaho and eastern Washington state spied an unusual light show last summer. Wispy clouds went from white to bright--displaying all colors of the rainbow. The multicolored marvel wasn't a typical rainbow. Rather, it...

Eat up!(breakfast is a must )(Brief article)
September 18, 2006... A recent study shows that each day 30 percent of teens skip breakfast--what scientists call the most important meal of the day. Kevin Kuczynski, a nutritionist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says these teens should change their...

Split snout.(pooch rescued )(Brief article)
September 18, 2006... Staff at an animal shelter in England rescued an unusual pooch. "Duo" has two noses. Duo's "double nose" appearance is caused by a cleft lip. This condition, which can also affect humans, began when Duo was still developing inside of his...

Lunar blast.(Space/meteoroids)(Brief article)
September 18, 2006... A massive explosion recently rocked the moon--and NASA scientists captured the best-ever images of the stunning sight. The blast occurred when a meteoroid revolving around the sun smashed into the moon. The impact from the rocky body...

Cool threads.(George Mallory's clothing)(Brief article)
September 18, 2006... Would you wear a thin blazer and slacks to scale Mount Everest? In 1924, George Mallory did just that--and mysteriously vanished while attempting his climb up the world's tallest peak. Many people believed that Mallory perished because he was...

It's all in the question: expert advice on creating a judge-wowing project.(Brief article)
September 18, 2006... The science fair is nearing and you haven't come up with a winning idea... yet. Don't panic! Science World talked to Steven Jacobs, a judge for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, for expert advice on creating a judge-wowing...

Green racer: a young race-car driver proves that environmentally friendly dragsters can crush the gas-guzzling competition.(Brent Singleton)
September 18, 2006... Brent Singleton from Ogden, Utah, spent most weekends during high school burning rubber at the racetracks. Strapped into his gray-and-blue junior dragster, named "Electric Jaws Jr.," Brent would compete in the National Hot Rod...

Water girl: one teen's science project earns her fame and helps to clean up a polluted river.
September 18, 2006... Growing up in a rural town in Utah, 18-year-old Shannon Babb spends her free time hiking with friends and exploring nearby caves. She has always been fascinated with the outdoors. She remembers years ago hearing on the news that Utah Lake (see...

Hit the waves: can an ancient method for waterproofing surfboards stand up to modern techniques?
September 18, 2006... What's the best way to waterproof a surfboard? When ancient Hawaiians invented surfing sometime between 1500 B.C. and 400 A.D., they didn't have modern waterproofing varnishes to protect their wooden surfboards. So they looked to nature for...

Worm war.(guinea worms)(Brief article)
September 18, 2006... Peter Emjor from Nigeria, Africa, tried to stay calm as a stringy worm was pulled from his foot. Like many people from his village, Emjor had been infected by a parasite known as the Guinea worm. How does such a worm get into a person's...

Explain this!(YOU CAN DO IT)
September 18, 2006... Titanic Turtle? ANSWERS This monster turtle is not a newly discovered species. It's a model of the main character in the Japanese movie Gamera: Little Brave Ones. Last April, moviegoers saw the larger-than life turtle use its...

Tips for using Science World in the classroom.(teaching )(Brief article)
September 18, 2006... Need help teaching students how to write a clear experiment procedure? Maureen Van Ackooy, a teacher at Union Vale Middle School in LaGrangeville, New York, suggests: After students have read the article on procedure writing (p. 14),...

Science News.
September 18, 2006... DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 6. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letters of the correct answers below. 1. High-altitude feathery clouds are called--clouds. (A) cirrus (B) cumulus (C)...

Your guide to a winning display. (TABLES, CHARTS, AND GRAPHS.
September 18, 2006... How do you keep track of the data from your science experiment? And how do you turn the collected information into something visually interesting, such as charts and graphs? First, read "Hit the Waves" on p. 18. Then, follow this step-by-step...